The bus runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) and will shuttle students up the steep hill from the bottom of campus to the main buildings, a trip that has been especially inconvenient for disabled students.

"This new, handicap-accessible, natural gas-powered bus will make getting around Rio Hondo College easier and more convenient for all of our students, especially those with disabilities," Napolitano said.

"I was proud to help Rio Hondo College secure the necessary funding to upgrade its transportation and make its campus is even more welcoming to students of all backgrounds," she said.

"Not all of the federal funding was spent on the bus, and the college can use the remainder to purchase more shuttles at a later date," said Russell Castaneda-Calleros, Rio Hondo's director of government and community relations. "We're very proud to add this bus to our fleet to accommodate students."

This is the third shuttle bus paid for by federal funds and the first that is green, he said. The others run on diesel fuel.

He said the bus is part of promoting cleaner air and more efficient transportation.

The four shuttles are also a boon for Rio Hondo students because prior to their arrival, two of their shuttles were not clean-burning nor wheelchair-accessible, Castaneda-Calleros said.

The shuttles are a part of the college's Go Rio program, which allows an average from about 2,500 to 3,000 students per semester to get to and from the hillside campus.

From a starting point of 900 students using five different transit agencies to get to and from the campus, Go Rio has grown to thousands per school year, Castaneda-Calleros said.

All full-time students (12 units or more for the entire semester) with no outstanding debts to the college, are eligible for a discounted transit pass that is honored by all of the above transit operators.

Students who drop below 12 units at any point during the semester are not eligible for the program.